This invention relates in general to vehicle mounted snowplow blades and deals more particularly with a mounting bracket which is used to mount the snowplow blade control switches on the shift lever of the vehicle.
Vehicles such as pickup trucks and other relatively small trucks can be equipped with detachable snowplow blades which permit the vehicle to be used for clearing snow from streets, driveways, parking lots and other surfaces. Normally, the height and angle of the blade can be varied to control the "float" of the blade and its angle relative to the direction of movement of the vehicle. Hydraulic cylinders usually raise and lower the blade and adjust its angle. The cylinders are in turn controlled by electric switches that are located within the cab of the vehicle so that the driver can make the blade adjustments from his seat within the cab.
The switches are typically mounted on the dashboard of the vehicle where access to them is somewhat difficult. In order to vary the blade height or angle, it is necessary for the driver of the vehicle to reach forward and operate the appropriate dash mounted switch. At least one hand of the driver must be kept on the steering wheel, and the other hand is often on the gear shift lever since it is necessary to frequently back the vehicle up and then go forward and to shift between gears for other reasons during the course of snowplowing operations. The need for the driver to reach the dashboard in order to activate the snowplow switches is thus a considerable inconvenience which has resulted in the blade not always being adjusted to the most desirable height and angle. The snowplowing operations have suffered accordingly.
The present invention is directed to a mounting bracket which permits the snowplow control switches to be mounted on the gear shift lever where they are readily accessible to the vehicle driver at all times because he normally has one hand on the shift lever and it is a simple matter for him to reach the nearby switches. Consequently, the inconvenience associated with dash mounted snowplow switches is eliminated by the switch mounting arrangement of the present invention. To my knowledge, there have been no brackets available in the past which permit the snowplow control switches to be mounted on the shift lever of a vehicle.
In accordance with my invention, a metal bracket includes a main plate and a flange which is bent at a right angle to the plate. A pair of holes are provided in the plate to permit the switches to be mounted thereto with the toggle switch actuators extending through the holes and secured to the plate by nuts. The flange is provided with a small angle member which closely fits on the shift lever, whether it is mounted on the steering column or floor of the vehicle. A U-bolt has its curved bight opposing the angle member, and the U-bolt can be tightened by nuts to clamp the shift lever between its bight and the angle member. This rigidly yet detachably mounts the bracket on the shift lever with the switch actuators projecting generally toward the driver of the vehicle where they are easily accessible to make adjustment of the snowplow blade more convenient than in the case of dash mounted switches.
The mounting bracket and related components are constructed in a simple and economical manner, and the bracket can be easily installed on the shift lever without the need for special skills or special tools. Another feature of the invention is the ability of the bracket to be mounted on shift levers having various sizes and styles and also on shift levers that are mounted either on the steering column or on the floor or console of the vehicle. The bracket and related components do not interfere with normal operation of the vehicle and at the same time make adjustment of the snowplow blade much more convenient than has been possible in the past .